A former major league pitcher and member of the Reading Baseball Hall of Fame was arrested after city police found cocaine, a loaded handgun and $15,000 in cash in his vehicle, investigators said Monday.

Jay Baller, 46, of the 300 block of Spring Valley Road, Muhlenberg Township, was arrested Friday after police got a report from a woman who saw him and two other men snorting cocaine and playing with a handgun in a sport utility vehicle parked along North 13th Street, investigators said.

A passenger in the car, Joseph Razzano, 45, of Exeter Township, was also arrested. His street address was unavailable.

Police charged both men with possessing cocaine and released them. Police said they will be mailed summonses to appear in court.

Baller played with the Reading Phillies from 1979 to 1982. He then played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals between 1982 and 1990. He ended his major league career with the Phillies in 1992.

Baller was inducted into the Reading Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

Police gave this account:

A woman who lives in the 1500 block of North 13th Street called 9-1-1 Friday about 6 p.m. after she saw Baller snorting cocaine in his SUV parked outside her house.

She also was concerned because he was cocking a handgun and passing it between his hands.

Patrolman Christopher Cortazzo pulled over Baller a few blocks away in the 1300 block of Marion Street.

Cortazzo ordered Baller out of the vehicle and handcuffed him. He also handcuffed Razzano, who was sitting in the back seat. A third person seen by the woman no longer was in the SUV.

Cortazzo found a loaded .45-caliber handgun registered to Baller, along with an extra ammunition clip. He also found a bag in the SUV containing $15,000.

Baller said he was going to use the money to clear up some tax problems.

Police found two bags of cocaine in Razzano’s pocket. Each bag contained about an eighth of an ounce of cocaine with a street value of $120 each.

Police also found another $120 bag of cocaine behind the driver’s seat.

Razzano told police he was an acquaintance of Baller’s.

The men had been at a bar in Muhlenberg Township and decided to stop to use cocaine, police said.

“That’s pretty stupid to pull over in a residential neighborhood and snort cocaine in broad daylight while playing with a gun,” Cortazzo said.

Police said they seized the handgun and money and impounded Baller’s vehicle.